Ray A. Goldberg

George M. Moffett Professor of Agriculture and Business, Emeritus

A native of North Dakota, Dr. Goldberg received his A.B. from Harvard University in 1948, his MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration in 1950 and his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Minnesota in 1952.

Together with John H. Davis he developed the Agribusiness Program at Harvard Business School in 1955. From 1970 to 1997 he was the Moffett Professor of Agriculture and Business and head of the Agribusiness Program. Since July 1, 1997, as emeritus professor, he has chaired the Agribusiness Senior Management Seminars at Harvard Business School and currently teaches a course on Food Policy and Agribusiness at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and also taught a junior tutorial seminar on Climate and Its Impact on the Global Food System at Harvard College. He is also an Honorary Professor and a member of the Royal Agricultural College at Cirencester, England. He is coordinator of the Joint Business, Scientific, Public Policy, Consumer Policy Technology Committee of the U.S. Food System (PAPSAC) which meets annually at Harvard University.He received the Distinguished Service Award from Harvard Business School in June 2001.

A native of North Dakota, Dr. Goldberg received his A.B. from Harvard University in 1948, his MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration in 1950 and his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Minnesota in 1952.

Together with John H. Davis he developed the Agribusiness Program at Harvard Business School in 1955. From 1970 to 1997 he was the Moffett Professor of Agriculture and Business and head of the Agribusiness Program. Since July 1, 1997, as emeritus professor, he has chaired the Agribusiness Senior Management Seminars at Harvard Business School and taught a course on Food Policy and Agribusiness at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and also taught a junior tutorial seminar on Climate and Its Impact on the Global Food System at Harvard College. He is also an Honorary Professor and a member of the Royal Agricultural College at Cirencester, England. He is coordinator of the Joint Business, Scientific, Public Policy, Consumer Policy Technology Committee of the U.S. Food System (PAPSAC) which meets annually at Harvard University.He received the Distinguished Service Award from Harvard Business School in June 2001.

Dr. Goldberg is the author, co-author and or editor of 23 books and over 110 articles on positioning firms and institutions in the global value added food system. He also has authored and supervised the development of hundreds of case studies on various private, public, and farm cooperative firms and institutions in the global food system. His most recent publications involve developing strategies for private, public, and cooperative managers as they position their firms, institutions, and government agencies in a rapidly changing global food system. He is also conducting research on the major biological, logistical, packaging and informational revolutions that affect global agribusiness managers as they attempt to cope with the volatile restructuring of major commodity systems.

Dr. Goldberg has served on over 40 Boards of Directors of major agribusiness firms, farm cooperatives, and technology firms. He has advised financial institutions on their agribusiness investments such as Rabobank, John Hancock and Agriculture Technology Partners. He is one of the founders and first President of the International Agribusiness Management Association and is a lifetime board advisor and consultant to numerous government agencies and private firms. He is an Overseer Emeritus of the Beth Israel Medical Center. He served as a member of the Science Advisory Board of the IFT/FDA Research Contract, and was Chairman of the Advisory Panel for a World Bank Guide to developing Agricultural Markets and Agro-Enterprises. He was Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic and Social Development in a Global Context of the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources of the National Research Council. He was Chairman of the Task Force to Utilize Tobacco Funds for Economic Development for the State of Kentucky. He was Co-Director of the European Food and Agribusiness Seminar that took place in Rome, Italy October 2015.

Dr. Goldberg was a member of the Presidential Mission to Poland in December of 1989. He was a member and speaker at the U.S. Department of Agriculture 2020 Vision: Beyond Reorganization Senior Policy Retreat in May of 1994. He is Chairman of the Russian Food Management Program Research Project and Seminar sponsored by the international Agribusiness Management Association. He most recent articles are entitled the 'Business of Agriceuticals' published in Nature Biotechnology, Volume 17 Supplement 1999; 'Transforming Life, Transforming Business: The Life-Science Revolution,' co-authored with Juan Enriquez and published in the Harvard Business Review, March-April 2000; and 'Food Wars: A Potential Peace' published in the Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics Supplement to Volume 28 No. 4 Selected Proceedings of 'Genes and Society: Impact of New Technologies on Law, Medicine, and Policy, May 10-12, 2000' pages 39-45 Winter 2000:and Biotechnology and the Agricultural Industry of the Future published in the Conference Proceedings of the Eight Annual Conference of the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research(ECSSR) Abu Dhabi U.A.E. August 2003

He was made a Fellow of the International Agribusiness Management Association in 2004. In July of 2005 he became a Fellow of the American Agricultural Economic Association. His wife Thelma Englander died on March 14, 2015 and he has three children and six grandchildren.

The global food system is the largest segment of the world's economy. As agribusiness-studies pioneer Ray Goldberg suggests, it is also the largest health system on the planet. And it is changing fast. Its size and importance to human, environmental, and economic health means that no system is viewed with as much suspicion by so many people around the globe. Changing societal expectations and scientific and medical advances have made the drivers of the food system—the world's food citizens—realize they must take more responsibility for society's nutritional needs, economic development, and the health of the environment. Goldberg argues that the traditionally commodity-oriented, bargaining relationship between segments of the food system has become win-win, collaborative, and characterized by public and private partnerships. Those who are responding to society's needs are succeeding; those who are not are losing out. The food system's greatest growth area is the developing world, where millions of small-scale producers, workers, and impoverished consumers need help to become part of the commercial food system. In this book, Ray Goldberg interviews the change makers of today's food system: leaders and constructive critics in government, private industry, nonprofits, and academia who provide a panoramic and in-depth look at a revolution in progress.

In July 2014, supermarket chain Wegmans received notification from supplier Wawona Packing Co. that its peaches arrived in Australia with a small trace of Listeria monocytogenes. While some countries such as Australia allowed low-levels of listeria to be present in certain produce, the U.S. had a zero-tolerance policy, and Wawona issued a voluntary recall of its peaches in the U.S. CEO Danny Wegman considered how Wegmans could become more proactive in food safety and what preventative action could be taken in the future. He considered what rules and regulations should be put into place domestically. What role should Wegmans and the food industry play in this approach?

This teaching plan is designed to support the teaching of Beidahuang, HBS No. 914-412, rev. March 2014. Beidahuang is a major new Chinese player in global grain trading that in 2013 is seeking access to grain both to help assure China's food security and in pursuit of its own commercial goals. Focusing on potential trade in Brazilian soybeans, the case asks students to re-evaluate the role of agricultural cooperatives in the global trading system and to assess what sort of model Beidahuang can create to capitalize on current industry trends while remaining true to its character as a leading Chinese agricultural grower and distributor.

In 2013, Rahul Kumar, the managing director of Amul dairy, India's leading dairy firm, had to decide how to position his firm for the future in light of India's growing population and demand for dairy. How could he maintain the firm's cooperative structure, address the nutritional needs of all Indians, make use of emerging technology, and navigate the country's dairy policies in the coming years?

Beidahuang is a major new Chinese player in global grain trading that in 2013 is seeking access to grain both to help assure China's food security and in pursuit of its own commercial goals. Focusing on potential trade in Brazilian soybeans, the case asks students to re-evaluate the role of agricultural cooperatives in the global trading system and to assess what sort of model Beidahuang can create to capitalize on current industry trends while remaining true to its character as a leading Chinese agricultural grower and distributor.

By 2013, the agricultural sector in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) had long suffered from war, political instability, and dilapidated infrastructure. A country with 75 million inhabitants and the second lowest GDP per capita in the world in 2011, the DRC's most pressing task was to grow its agriculture sector and cultivate its 80 million hectares of fertile land. This case explores how a developing country could create a comprehensive strategy to implement the necessary institutional, political, and social frameworks needed to support sustainable agricultural developments and rise out of long-term poverty.

Ciaran Meghen and Ronan Loftus, co-founders of IdentiGEN (an Irish company that had created a unique service called DNA TraceBack to help customers identify and trace meat products), were discussing the company's future. The recent crisis over beef products being contaminated with horsemeat in Europe had generated strong demand for IdentiGEN's services. But more than this, DNA TraceBack gave customers strong insight into their operations to ensure product was genuine, and helped facilitate a continuous feedback loop between all players of the supply chain to deliver a high quality product to consumers. In light of strong demand, how should IdentiGEN proceed in terms of which customers to work with, and which products should it support?

In 2013, Rahul Kumar, the managing director of Amul dairy, India's leading dairy firm, had to decide how to position his firm for the future in light of India's growing population and demand for dairy. How could he maintain the firm's cooperative structure, address the nutritional needs of all Indians, make use of emerging technology, and navigate the country's dairy policies in the coming years?

In December 2012, Hans Jöhr, Nestlé's head of corporate agriculture, was preparing to meet with the company's board of directors to discuss its vision for the future related to sustainable agriculture. Nestlé's continued success depended on its ability to access the raw agricultural ingredients essential for the operations of the world's largest agribusiness in a secure, sustainable, and ethical way. Doing so not only ensured the future wellbeing of Nestlé, but of its suppliers, partners, and customers as well. The world's changing climate, emerging health crises around hunger and obesity, and an increasingly urbanized population presented Nestlé with numerous challenges for the future. Other emerging issues such as the importance of food security, consumer demands for more nutritious food, increased collaboration between public and private entities, consolidation within the global agribusiness community, new sources of product origination, and the rise of new technologies, among many other trends, would all influence how Nestlé did business in the future.
The company had focused on the strategic issues of nutrition, water, and rural development, and had started a number of programs to begin addressing these challenges. As he sat in his office, Jöhr considered how the company was going to ensure the sustainability of its supply, and how Nestlé planned to work with the entirety of the supply chain to ensure proper stewardship of the land and water resources the chain managed, while also introducing new technologies, engaging with consumers on the role food played in their overall health, working with both small- and large-scale farmers in managing their operations in a sustainable way, and verifying that its programs were all working towards these diverse goals.

For centuries Lafite has been the most admired wine Estate in the world. How does Baron Eric de Rothschild protect this crown jewel in a conservative manner while DBR develops other Chateaux blending wine programs, reaches out to new areas such as China and begins to take a more active interest in the world's number one market—the United States.

Corporate Head of Agriculture Hans Jöhr's mind raced in anticipation of the executive board meeting that afternoon. Jöhr recognized the meeting as a key opportunity to strategize far into the future, reexamining how his team's efforts in sustainable agricultural sourcing supported Nestlé's position as the world's leading nutrition, health and wellness company. The company had undertaken to impact three of the world's most urgent challenges—nutrition, water and rural development—and Jöhr's team was fundamental to each of these pillars. Yet the forces changing the global food system were formidable: unprecedented levels of hunger, obesity and chronic disease; land degradation, frequent natural disasters, and critical threats to water supply; population growth by the billions in the coming decades, along with increased urbanization; and a volatile and tentative world economy. In the face of such threats and complexity, how could Hans Jöhr ensure that Nestlé's agricultural raw materials were safe, high quality, of consistent supply, and sustainably and ethically and economically produced? How can the procurement process enable the small scale producer to become a viable partner in the milk production models that Nestlé has developed in the developing world? Further, how could his team excel beyond the company's day-to-day business and enable Nestlé's visions for the future?

Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant must guide his global agribusiness technology company into an uncertain future where food security, food safety, sustainability, and climate change will all impact the global food system.

This note seeks to provide an overview of farmland investing, the investment thesis behind investing in agriculture, how and why investors would choose farmland, and the general risks and return characteristics of this asset class. In recent years, a growing number of individual and institutional investors have allocated a portion of their capital into agricultural farmland. Private investors, public companies, and sovereign wealth funds are now all currently purchasing and selling large amounts of farmland for profit.

Alejandro Elsztain, CEO of Cresud S.A., is faced with the difficult choice of whether to sell, develop, or continue to hold the 151,000 hectares of remaining undeveloped farmland at the company's Los Pozos farm in Argentina. Developing the land will further expose Cresud to a variety of risks related to owning and operating farmland, but the potential financial rewards are potentially significant. As competition has increased and farmland values have skyrocketed in the last eight years, Cresud's overall corporate strategy has been to increasingly focus on development opportunities outside of the country—in areas such as Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia. Alejandro's looming decision on Los Pozos is, in many ways, reflective of choices facing his company in general.

DaChan Food in China is providing leadership in the quality, health, and environmental needs of the Chinese consumer as poultry consumption increases there. Continuing to provide that leadership as global and national competition increase becomes more and more difficult because a price differential is essential to pay for the added safeguards the company provides through its vertically integrated structure and traceability system. How should DaChan position itself for this future?

GTC is the first company in the animal world to receive FDA approval of a transgenic pharmaceutical. What are the implications for other firms in plants and animals and their opportunities to produce new medicines in an economical and safe fashion?

The millennium objectives of reducing poverty and malnutrition are not being met. How do the private, public, and NGO sectors of society work together to achieve better results and include the recipients in the process?

China's COFCO, the country's leading edible oil and food importer and exporter and its largest food manufacturer, had in its 50-plus years of operation undergone four stages of transformation and was about to embark on a fifth. The global agriculture system was undergoing major changes and the standard of living in China was increasing, changing the food consumption and dietary habits of the nation's 1.3 billion people. COFCO's management needed to decide how the company should transform to seize the opportunities in the industry and in China.

Syngenta has developed a new sugar beet crop especially useful to tropical climates that enable double cropping to take place and provide both food and energy from the soil. Thus both the governments of Colombia and India are enthused about the new technological breakthrough.

The Mormon Church focuses on self-reliance and being prepared for emergencies. Part of their program encourages each member of the Church to have a reserve food supply on hand at all times. Given U.S. and global food stock levels, is the Church program a good model for the country?

In 2005, CEO Bruce Rohde has almost completed the integration of ConAgra Foods' collection of 90 independent operating companies into a focused, value-added firm and was beginning to think about his successor. ConAgra had become the second largest food company and No. 1 food service supplier in the United States. Rohde believed that the company, with its solid portfolio of brands and history of leadership in important trends such as healthy foods, was ready to begin its next chapter as one of the great marketing companies, in league with Kraft Food or Coca-Cola. The job of the next CEO would be to unlock the enterprise value of the company in the face of continuing customer consolidation and increasingly diverse consumer requirements.

CEO James Herring of Friona Industries, a leading U.S. cattle feedlot operator, has a history of leadership in the highly fragmented and often contentious U.S. beef industry. Friona has established relationships up and down the beef production chain to provide high-quality, consistently tender beef that consumer's value. In 2005, Friona is partnering with Cargill, the leading U.S. meatpacker, to produce private-label beef products for grocery retailers such as Harris Teeter and Safeway. Will the introduction of high-quality, reasonably priced beef lead to higher sales for the retailer and ultimately stronger margins for Friona?

Cargill is one of the world's leading marketers, processors, and distributors of agricultural, food, industrial, and financial products. In 1998, the company decided to develop a strategic intent to restructure and refocus the company. It did so in response to the consolidation of the industry, globalization, and the impact of the genetic revolution. It had to change its focus from the producer to the consumer and market solutions.

Stoned fruit has quality variations, reducing consumption. Five independent growers formed a cooperative to provide quality control and a brand name--Ripe 'N Ready--that enabled retailers to differentiate their stores and producers to differentiate the products they supplied. Consumer acceptance has been high. The issue is how to expand the concept without adversely affecting the original users of the product. Also, what new kinds of competition are they creating?

Pedro de Camargo Neto, Brazil's secretary of trade and production for the Ministry of Agriculture, has won a WTO sugar decision for Brazil against the EU sugar policies. This case analyzes what this decision will mean to world food policies, especially those of the EU and the United States. The ruling strengthens the WTO as a decision maker with respect to fair trade policy. The issue revolves around what actions the various private and public decision makers will now take to make this ruling work while not placing too big a burden on any one segment of the economy.

Nestle is the largest milk firm in the world. For over a century, it has developed a milk model procurement program that improved the well-being of the small-scale farmer and the ultimate consumer. Can it partner with other firms and institutions to make even greater use of this model and can it do so in a manner that is consistent with host country goals and equally useful to the long-term viability of Nestle?

Biodiversity is being lost due to the delegation of the ability to store and maintain various types of plants to governments and foundations with no or little financial base. How does one develop the resources to maintain plant diversity for the future benefit of society?

In 2002, Environmental Power Corp. (EPC), a small company developing renewable energy projects, was attempting to commercialize its "digester," a facility that extracted methane from manure, reduced manure's environmental impact, and generated electricity. The company addressed two promising convergent markets: the farm waste management market and the renewable energy market. One of the main challenges was to put together a financial scheme that satisfied the conflicting interests of four groups of stakeholders: the farmers who lacked cash, the investors who distrusted the electricity trading business after the Enron scandal, the utilities who resisted long-term commitments to buy electricity, and the government who was reconsidering its agricultural and energy policies. The primary challenge is to provide a process that reduces animal waste pollution and at the same time provides a positive renewable energy source.

Codex Alimentarius is a set of international food standards devised by the Codex Commission, a body within the United Nations jointly sponsored by the FAO and WHO. The purpose of the standards is to harmonize global trade in food products and agricultural commodities, protect the health of consumers, and promote fair trade practices in foods. A subset of the commission's work involved establishing international food labeling standards. The most disputed issue in food labeling dealt with the topic of genetically modified ingredients and how to treat them.

Nestle as the largest milk company in the world, has a history of economic development, nutrition, health, and food safety in all the major countries of the world. Each milk model is tailor-made to the needs of each country's political, social, and economic priorities.

CEO Mayo Schmidt had just guided his firm through five difficult years. Survival had come with the difficult decision to change the 80-year-old agricultural cooperative into a Canadian business corporation. The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool (SWP) now faced the future with a new financial structure, world-class assets, a proven management team, a sound balance sheet, and access to capital for stability and expansion. In the face of increasing global grain demand and new technology-based product possibilities, Schmidt was convinced that, as a producer, Canada would have a long-term advantage because of its history of high-quality grain production. Further, he believed that SWP, with its deep farmer relationships and state-of-the-art infrastructure, was ideally positioned to lead the development of identity-preserved value chains. How should Schmidt build on the SWP's unique strengths to create a company that would flourish and prosper for the next 80 years?

Spain is the largest olive oil producer, yet it sells much of its product to Italy, where it is repackaged as Italian olive oil. The decision maker in the case wants to develop Spain as the olive oil leader not just in production but in quality and value added. He wants to use the American market to develop both private label and branded products, using Spain as the country of origin.

Brazil has just won a case action against the U.S. cotton agriculture program at the World Trade Organization. What does this mean for future agricultural programs in the United States? For future trade policies of the United States, Brazil, and others in the global agribusiness system? The future role of the WTO? Negotiation through litigation? Developed versus developing country trade policies?

The Electronic Product Code (EPC) is a successor to the Uniform Product Code and will improve the efficiency and traceability of the global food system. This case focuses on how best to implement this new system and respect the privacy of the ultimate consumer, and the teaching purpose is to analyze the impact of EPC on the global food system.

John Deere & Co. wants to improve shareholder value and provide incentives to do so. The task is difficult in a volatile agriculture and construction industry. It also wants to be more global and provide machinery that traces commodities from the field to the consumer.

Maple Leaf Foods is concerned about the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (Mad Cow Disease) issue in Canada and the reputation of Canadian meat products in the domestic and global markets. DNA can now trace products from sow and piglets to consumer pork products. Focuses on how to implement the new technology to improve food safety and trace nutrition and health benefits in an efficient manner.

The Commission of Agriculture in Texas wants to improve the nutritional quality of the school lunch program to help fight obesity in students. It needs the cooperation of the soft drink industry to change their products and the manner in which they provide financial support to the school system.

The first food safety commission is established for the European Union. How does it handle food safety, scientific evaluations, and people's attitudes toward scientific changes in food growing and processing--for example, genetically modified organisms?

XS, Inc. created a seller and buyer Internet for the $200 billion farm supply industry. How can this start-up remain the nonpartisan hub of this network, and how will it aid in the traceability of the U.S. food system?

A cow was determined to have Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy in Canada, which closed its beef exports to the United States and 39 other countries. What future action should be taken, and how will country of origin specification and traceability take place in the future?

The largest global agribusiness bank has lost its triple A rating and is rethinking its global strategy as the leading global food and agribusiness bank. How does it position itself in the vertical value-added global food system?

Monsanto is the biotechnology leader in agriculture. How does it use its leadership in Round Up to fund long-term research and development in biotechnology that is acceptable to the priority system of consumers in different parts of the world? Includes color exhibits.

Fonterra was a cooperatively owned dairy company--New Zealand's largest company and the world's largest exporter of dairy products. To maintain its leadership, Fonterra had to respond to increased competition, new consumer tastes, consolidation of its customers, and increasing subsidies on milk by developing countries. This futuristic case identifies trends that the cooperative has to take into account for its future success. It can be examined as a model for other cooperatives in other commodity systems.

In 2002, ConAgra Foods CEO Bruce Rohde was deliberating the next steps in the process of transforming the company from an agribusiness giant to a value-added food processor. ConAgra had become the second largest food company and number one food service supplier in the United States following decades of growth through acquisitions, primarily in grain milling and meat processing businesses. During the 1990s, ConAgra made significant inroads into processed foods, with 86% of FY2002 operating profits coming from its value-added businesses. Despite its expanding portfolio of branded products, ConAgra's image as a commodity-oriented agribusiness company persisted. Given the rapidly changing food industry and the divestiture of ConAgra's fresh meat business, Rohde must establish a new identity and direction for the company.

As one of Asia's biggest agriindustrial conglomerates, Charoen Pokphand, although solidly positioned in Thailand, was facing an increasingly competitive and complex business environment in China, where it made 30% of revenues. A change in management of the family-owned conglomerate (which included 11 publicly traded companies) was on the horizon.

The United States and Mexico face the challenges of managing shared water resources. The supply is limited and demand is growing on both sides of the border as a result of increased irrigated acreage and population growth.

In 1993, Calgene is on the verge of introducing the world's first genetically engineered plant product--a tomato will taste better and stay fresh longer. At the same time, it is using biotechnology to produce improved plant products for the cottonseed and the industrial and edible oil markets. As it develops and brings these products to market, however, it faces a series of marketing and public relations hurdles, including regulatory requirements consumer education activist resistance to production, and distribution logistics. How Calgene reacts to these challenges may determine whether it succeeds or fails in its quest to revolutionize the business of agriculture. A rewritten version of an earlier case.

Global coffee leaders gathered in 2002 to develop alternative market-based approaches that would ensure a sustainable supply of coffee and address the social and ecological issues confronted by a global depression in coffee prices.

Agriculture is not what it used to be. Neither is coverage of the industry by news organizations. A century ago, about 40% of the U.S. population lived on the farm, and one in three U.S. jobs was tied to agriculture. It made sense for daily newspapers to cover farming and to write for farmers. But now, less than 2% of the U.S. population lives on the farm, and a similarly small percentage of U.S. employment stems from agriculture. News organizations face a quandary: Covering agriculture for farmers no longer makes sense, and reporters must cover the industry differently. The question is how? In addition, the genetic revolution has created an agriceutical system, and the functions performed and the people performing have all changed. Unfortunately, news editors are not knowledgeable enough to understand the significance of this change and inform their readers about it. This case addresses how to change this perception.

A Greek milling firm wants to invest in Eastern Europe. The case explores the firm's search strategy and its due diligence process after a potential investment, and considers how the company should structure its bid. A rewritten version of an earlier case.

The World Trade Organization and NAFTA are reviewing the sweetener system and governmental sugar programs and their impact on world trade. What position should Jose Pinto take, and how will this affect his company, Mexico, and the global sugar players?

This case presents a definition of functional foods or nutraceuticals (food or food ingredients that could provide a health benefit beyond the traditional nutrients they contain), a description of some of the major obstacles to their commercialization and popularization, and recent attempts by food and pharmaceutical companies to capitalize on their promise.

After 24 years at the helm of Loblaw Companies, Canada's largest food retailer, Richard Currie is trying to decide on a strategy for the company's future. The firm's current emphasis on one-stop shopping for everyday household needs has been phenomenally successful. Its portfolio of stores to match local demographics, along with strong private label programs, has made the company one of the top mass retailers worldwide, but what can Currie do for an encore?

A firm that started in corn processing and moved up the value-added food chain decides to spin-off the original commodity part of the business. How does the new spin-off survive and how does it develop a strategy? Firms in the food system are separating out their commodity parts of the business from branded food products. How does the new commodity firm develop a strategy for the future?

As the food industry becomes more sophisticated, and as genomics and other factors provide for quality control from the producers to the consumers in the food chain, the beef industry has been one of the last commodity systems to organize the vertical systems to satisfy consumers' needs for high-quality, consistently tender beef. The desire to also provide traceability has led Friona Industries to develop partnerships in the vertical chain to achieve these results with case-ready meat for supermarkets and consistent supplies for institutions such as McDonalds.

After 50 years of successful growth, mostly by acquisition, Dean Foods, the nation's second-largest dairy processor, has established a division to develop and market branded products nationally. Can a $4 billion company rely on a $300 million growth vehicle? Is this the best way to respond to the prevailing trends in the food retailing industry? Can Dean, known as a private label producer of fluid milk, make the transition from commodity to branded, value-added products?

The West Africa Rice Development Association, along with various national and international partners, was developing and transferring new rice technologies to farmers throughout West and Central Africa. While production in West Africa was growing faster than any other part of the world, the region did not produce enough rice to meet local demand. As director general of the Association, Kanayo Nwanze believed that West African governments in general did not give enough attention to agricultural research because its impact was too difficult to measure. Nwanze had to figure out how to change the mindset of national policy makers and put agricultural research on the front burner.

Smithfield has become the number-one pork producer and processor in the world--given all the changes in the global agribusiness industry. How does the company develop its future strategy? A rewritten version of an earlier case.

Cresud, a listed Argentine agricultural company, generates value by operating farms and through land appreciation. This case describes Cresud's business model, industry, and country context. Can a corporate farmer in agriculture use public funds to compete in both the agricultural world and the land appreciation world?

In the fall of 1999, Kumio Egashira, president of Ajinomoto, a 90-year old, Japan-based processed foods and specialty chemicals company, and his team of senior executives were deciding how to globally maximize the synergies that existed between their food and amino acid businesses. The issue before them was how to more effectively use amino-acid know-how to create diversified, innovative, yet focused businesses and doing so in an environmentally and socially conscious way. A rewritten version of an earlier case.

Sam Huttenbauer is trying to get two companies, in high-pressure food preservation and in nutraceuticals, off the ground. This case covers strategic, marketing, and financing challenges. It also looks at innovative technologies in the food industry and the role of the entrepreneur in commercializing them.

The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) is a state agency responsible for the welfare of the Florida citrus industry. This case describes the FDOC's efforts to turn around grapefruit juice consumption. Using a health message, Dan Santangelo, the FDOC's new director, adopted a marketing-driven rather than supply-driven solution to oversupply and falling demand for grapefruit, .

The Center for Science in the Public Interest is taking a position on creating a new safety leadership vehicle in the U.S. government. How should it plead its cause? What are the position merits and faults?

A new firm is being created to speed up the process of mapping humans, animals, and plants by combining gene technology with rapid gene identification to improve the health and well being of the human population and the productivity of crops and animals. How does one manage this process?

Two years after taking over as CEO, Bruce Rohde must determine how best to deal with the changes affecting this major global agribusiness firm. He must reassess the direction of the company as well as determine in which industries it should participate.

The merger of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz produced genomic-based synergies for health care, agribusiness, and nutritional supplements. How to build on the strength of the individual divisions and provide synergies that would continue Novartis' leadership role is the question facing the company.

In late 1998, 38-year-old He Boquan, CEO of the Guangdong Nowada Group, a health beverage producer, needs to decide how to fund his company's growth and ambition to become China's number one domestic health beverage producer by 2002. A consultants study revealed that foreign competition in China was likely to accelerate within the next three years, and that, without improved management skills and additional capital, Nowada risked going from being a leader to being marginalized. The consulting firm therefore identified potential investors (including the investment arm of a European family conglomerate, an international direct investment firm, and a food and beverage multinational). In late 1998, several rounds of negotiations gave He and his team three options: accept a majority investment by the multinational, accept a 25% capital injection with a risky repayment put option, or "go it alone."

In 1998, MD Foods, a Denmark-based dairy cooperative, was searching for growth opportunities that would enable it to become northern Europe's preferred retail dairy supplier. The options being considered included expanding in existing markets, entering into new markets, or growing via product alliances and innovation. The experience of the company's U.K. subsidiary demonstrated that as the food retail sector consolidated, being the supplier of choice was becoming increasingly difficult. Product and service innovation was the key to survival.

In July 1999, the Australian Wheat Board (AWB), a statutory national and international grain marketing organization, would become grower-owned. As a private corporation, the AWB would no longer receive government borrowing guarantees and would have to rely on its own capital base for investments. Along with a new structure, the AWB's wheat export monopoly was in jeopardy as domestic and international grain traders called for open competition. The case describes CEO Murray Roger's challenges in navigating the AWB into a new era.

Danny Wegman, president of Wegmans Food Markets, is trying to decide how to evaluate the success of a nutrition-counseling program for diabetics, and whether and how to expand the program beyond the two stores currently involved. Wegmans, with 57 stores and $2.3 billion in revenues, implemented the program in conjunction with a local hospital and a disease-management company. Initially intended to stem the erosion of pharmacy margins due to managed care plans, the program filled a genuine social need--diabetes can be inexpensively controlled through diet if caught early. In addition to discussing how the program has been established, the case presents financials for the supermarket industry and Wegmans' competitors. The new role of supermarkets in addressing disease, health, and preventive medical needs is also presented.

Royal Ahold has become one of the top U.S. food retailers in the United States and Europe, with a family firm that began in the Netherlands and grew to a listing on the U.S. Stock Exchange. It wants to be a global player and is trying to develop a global strategy.

Odwalla suffered one of the worst food safety crises in history and not only survived but continued to grow. Now they need to decide how the crisis affected their business and how to expand their business.

Al Tank, CEO of the National Pork Products Council, is facing an environmental and structural crisis in the U.S. pork industry. Can he resolve the environmental and image problems of his industry in time? Can he receive the support of both his growers and the international community?

Dr. Ian Willmut and the Roslin Institute have developed a revolutionary new technology--cloning. Now they are faced with some tough choices concerning going forward. How should they balance commercialization opportunities with societal concerns?

Tri Valley Growers is a dominant co-operative in its industry and, yet, still suffers from poor returns. The board of directors worked with the new CEO to change the product, market, and financing focus of the co-op to assure a long and profitable future for its shareholders, employees, and growers.

Discusses the joint venture between two companies with different capabilities: 1) technology provider and 2) transportation agent. Discusses how to capture value from joint venture and biotechnology: 1) who are winners and who are losers; 2) how much value can/should be captured; 3) sustainability issues; 4) implications for agriculture/agchem industry/relationships between supply chain members. Delta & Pine and Monsanto are licensing a new technology cotton seed. They must decide how to do it and how to evaluate its success.

Sets out the strategy and competitive competencies of one of the leading grain trade and processing companies in the world. An overview of the company's innovations in corn and oilseed by-products is provided. The strategy of the firm is to add by-products to corn, soybeans, and wheat processing so that they become part of a food, feed, fuel, and pharmaceutical industry complex.

Opening up of Asian markets for U.S. produce provided an opportunity for large-scale producers to develop their own packing house and airline to ship their product to Asian markets. Teaching Purpose: How do farmers take a proactive strategy in reaching global produce markets in a direct fashion?

Boston Beer Co. revolutionized the beer industry by identifying and responding to a new consumer segment. Using the excess capacity in the brewing industry to establish contract brewing arrangements and an extremely capable sales force, the company opened the industry's eyes to the need for high quality product and freshness. The emphasis on unique product development and freshness was a first for the industry.

Diamond Walnut Growers is the largest walnut marketer in the world. As a grower-owned cooperative, it is under pressure to operate as efficiently as independent handlers. Diamond is evaluating its high-margin consumer branded business, which has experienced little to no growth, and the low-margin but rapidly growing industrial business to determine its strategy regarding each.

As the Mondavi Corp. moves from a private to a public company and increases the number of types of wine it sells, how does it position itself in various segments of the market and what brand and distribution system is most important?

Danone is the largest food company in France and is in the top ten in the world, but most of its activity is in France, Spain, and Italy. How does it become a global company? Should it? How does it leverage its leadership in yogurt, biscuits, and mineral water?

Private label cola, Cott, gets 30% of the market in Canada. How does it move into the U.S. market? How do retailers evaluate its benefit costs? Does Cott use an existing structure or build new ones? Does Cott diversify from drink to snack foods?

Flour milling in recent years has had a great deal of consolidation. The fourth generation of a privately held firm is debating how to protect themselves in the industry as consumption, production, competition, logistics, technology, and patterns are all changing.

Private labels, previously weak in the U.S. market, are making inroads in the United States and Canada. Reasons for this include a weak economy, better quality of private label goods, and a desire by retailers to increase profitability.